The Cape Master System, NC
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 3 ppb (monitoring period 2024-2024). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
The Cape Master System at a glance
The Cape Master System serves about 11,587 people through 4,562 service connections, which makes it a large system under EPA's size classes. It is privately owned and draws groundwater, in New Hanover County, North Carolina. EPA system ID: NC0465199; phone on file: 919-653-6999. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2023 (3 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for The Cape Master System is 5 ppb across 5 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 ppb |
| 2023 | 3 ppb |
| 2022 | 5 ppb |
| 2019 | 3.41 ppb |
| 2016 | 3.04 ppb |
How The Cape Master System compares
Of the 1,925 North Carolina systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0 ppb; 5 are over 15 ppb right now and 75 have gone over at some point. The Cape Master System's 3 ppb sits at the 88th percentile in North Carolina and the 83rd nationally (higher means more lead).
Nearby utilities
14 other systems share New Hanover County; 5 of them have a higher latest lead result than The Cape Master System. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Cfpua-Wilmington | 212,227 | 0 (not detected) |
| Carolina Beach Water System | 6,864 | 5.8 ppb |
| Kure Beach Water System | 5,484 | 5 ppb |
| Cfpua - Wrightsville Beach | 5,300 | 0 (not detected) |
| Figure 8 Island | 999 | 0 (not detected) |
| Treasure Cove S/D | 760 | 0 (not detected) |
| Glynnwood Mhp | 208 | 2 ppb |
| Northside Mhp | 180 | 0 (not detected) |
| South Ridge Mhp | 115 | 6 ppb |
| Oyster Point S/D | 99 | 0 (not detected) |
What to do in your house
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Cary, NC may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask The Cape Master System whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.